Today, (or rather, yesterday, as I was way too busy to write this on its proper day) I woke up, put on my fanciest high heels, and went to work. While it's not officially "Back To Work" time, and while I do usually work from home, Dave and I both had meetings that required morning getting-readiness, and childcare, and all that jazz.
First, let me say, that as I was getting dressed, I was thinking that I truly do have it all. I can put on my finest earrings, my hottest pumps, and kiss my kids and tell them I'll be back in a few hours. I've got it easy compared to most, right? I make my own hours, I work mostly from home, I attend meetings when I want...it seems ideal!
Well, after I kissed the kids and left, I remembered what its like to work outside of the home. First off, those hot high heels I mentioned? OUCH! And how did I used to balance in these things? Oh well, I still looked good. My meeting, of course, started late...and I immediately began calculating the amount of minutes I would be late to pick up the girls. My meeting also started with an intense round of introductions, joking, and chit chat. This is quite common in the businessworld, but for a working mommy with a 2 month old at home, you just want to get on with it. An hour into the meeting, we were still at the beginning of strategy discussions. Wait a minute....what's this?
Oh no.
A leaky boob.
Yup. Right in the middle of my meeting, I got the familiar sensation of "Uh-Oh, I'm about to burst". And then, the heavens opened, and out poured my boob milk. No one noticed, (Thank goodness for dark patterned dresses!) but of course I still found it quite embarrassing.
Two hours into the meeting that was scheduled for just one and a half hours, and i was really starting to lose it. I call my mom, who was watching the kids.
"We're out of breast milk" she says. "She's not hungry yet, but I'm not sure when she will want to eat again".
Now, I have a decision to make...do I leave the meeting, or starve my kids?
Guess which choice won out?
It's never easy. Whether you work part time, whether you stay at home, whether you are a workaholic. Every choice is hard. Every choice is judged by others. And every choice is one that the mom is not 100% sure about. Even when you work part time, the occasional leaky boob meeting pops up. Even when you work from home, or are a SAHM, you want to walk around in your Manolos once in a while. And so, today, on Day 6, I am sending big hugs to all working moms, whether they work in an office, or work as a stay at home parent. It's the hardest damn job on earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment